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Splitting

Interesting portion of an article that has some interesting observations about splitting. PDF
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Two comments:

1) The most interesting part I read was the last paragraph:

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The experimental results presented here are of a preliminary nature, but they suggest the possibility, that someday the Calimyrna fig grower may be able to spray his orchard with an application of some growth regulator at pollination time and, thereby, eliminate the necessity for using the disease-carrying fig-wasp.


Does this suggest that using a growth inhibitor possibly negates the need for pollination by, for example, a fig wasp?

This sounds strangely familiar to a comment someone else posted recently about (EL?) being able to get ripe fruit from figs requiring pollination without having access to wasps.  I wish I could remember the remark....


2) It talks of using growth inhibitors to control splitting.  Thing is, they're talking about using chemical inhibitors rather than using an environmental control as an inhibitor to avoid splitting.

You know, in the Basics section, there is that presentation from Bill in NJ with regard to potting and root pruning trees.  He controls water intake with the method he pots.  This is done by sheeting the top of the pot to prevent water intake from above, and he creates a resevoir at the bottom of the pot with an overflow to keep the resevoir at a specific level, always allowing the same amount of water to wick up.

My guess is, by using such an environmental control, you would also be able to control splitting by controlling water intake, resulting in more solid figs with a more controlled growth.  But this is speculation.  Only Bill could truly comment on that one.
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If you talk to Bill, that IS one positive aspect of his bottom-watering system that he mentions.  The only downsides are the cost of the set up and the necessity to water the reservoir constantly.  His trees are HUGE.

C.J.
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Jason, there are several studies and papers which indicate that you can artificially "pollinate" figs with chemicals.  See Link Nos 135-150, esp. 135 and 139 which I will upload after I post this - as I hadn't gotten that file uploaded this weekend.
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Most people blame splitting on over-watering and too much rain, but the article seemed to indicate that humidity was the real issue. I have always thought that something environmental or climatic was the issue - because my Black Madeira splits regardless of the amount of watering, at certain points in the season, and much less so at others. Others seem to behave similarly.
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The article that Jon posted is titled Seedless Calimyrna Figs Produced Without Caprifigs by Spraying with Growth Regulators by Julian Crane and Rene Blondeau.     It can be found by searching here http://californiaagriculture.ucanr.org which looks like a good resource for material that I have not had time to investigate.      Seeing the authors reminded me that I had seen a related article titled The Use of Growth-Regulating Chemicals to Induce Parthenocarpic Fruit in the Calimyrna Fig by Julian Crane and Rene Blondeau from March 1948.    It is available in pdf form here http://www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/reprint/24/1/44.pdf


Ingevald
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